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Like others in the campaign, he is drawn from Mr Obama's adopted hometown of Chicago. One of the most admired political advisors in the US, he is in many ways he is the archetypal political insider: a lugubrious and slightly rumpled workaholic. Reporters are fond of him because he is approachable and can often be found in a hotel lobby chatting at the end of a long day on the campaign trail.

But he is more of an idealist than most. David Wilhelm, a senior Democrat who worked with Mr Axelrod in campaigns in the 1980s, said in a recent interview: "He cares about his candidates and their positions on issues. While he can be caustic, he is not a cynic."

In Mr Obama, whom he helped get elected to the US Senate in 2004, Mr Axelrod has found such a candidate. A member of the campaign said: "We haven't had to do that much with Barack, because he is so gifted."

The senator's likeability, his opposition to the war, his message of unity - embodied by his mixed-race background - and inspirational oratory set many in the Democratic Party alight. He quickly raised a lot of money and attracted some big names in Hollywood.

But Mr Obama's main rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton, had a formidable machine, incomparable name recognition and the support of the party establishment.

What the Obama team managed to do, under the direction of Mr Axelrod and David Plouffe, the campaign manager, is use their candidate's freshness to reach new voters and new donors. The bulk of the £50 million Mr Obama has raised has come from small online donations of up to £100. That has paid for a lot of television advertisements (the campaign has spent £1 million on commercials in New Hampshire alone) and staffers in the key states.

The campaign has successfully harnessed hundreds of mostly young volunteers in the early voting states - Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

"I have just never seen an organisation like it," Mr Axelrod told The Daily Telegraph. "They left no stone unturned. Those kids would have walked through fire for us, it was just fantastic."

In New Hampshire the strategy has been the same: hit young and independent voters with a message of reform in Washington and ending the country's culture wars.

For the long months when Mrs Clinton led, it seemed the early excitement of Mr Obama's campaign had died down, but the campaign stuck with its message of change. It polished its man's previously slipshod debating performance and waited for Mrs Clinton's appeal to wane.

Like all candidates Mr Obama has many advisers and consultants, but his inner circle is leaner than others.

As well as Mr Plouffe, a partner in Mr Axelrod's firm AKP Media, there is Robert Gibbs, an experienced press secretary, and Reggie Love, a former professional American footballer who is the "body man" - a personal trainer cum valet cum sidekick.